The present invention relates to a method for the production of refractory oxide powders by pyrolzying with laser energy a boron, silicon-, or metal-containing organic chemical species characterized by the following properties: (a) some or all of the organic fragments (ligands)are bound to the boron, silicon or metal by one or more boron-, silicon-, or metal-oxygen bonds, (b) the chemical species is able to absorb laser energy, preferably from a CO.sub.2 laser, in a vibrational mode, (c) the chemical species can be obtained in a gas state, at a temperature below the decomposition temperature.
Fine particle refractory oxide powders are used in a variety of industries. For example, they can be sintered to form ceramic objects; they can be used for coating substrate by slurry coating techniques; they can be used as the dispersoid in oxide dispersion strengthened alloys; or they can be used, in ultra-high purity form, in the electronics industry. In many applications, it is desirable that the powder be composed of very fine particles (about 1 m in diameter or less) to enhance sintering processes or to improve the homogeneity of dispersions in other materials.
Various techniques exist for producing refractory oxide powders including hydrolysis methods and conventional pyrolysis methods. W. R. Cannon et al has disclosed a laser-heated gas phase synthesis process to produce sinterable ceramic powders of silicon-containing solids, see e.g., Cannon, W. R.; Danforth, S. C.; Flint, J. H.; Haggerty, J. S.; Marra, R. A.; J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 1982, 65, 324-330. However, there is still a need in the art for methods of producing ultra-fine refractory oxide powders and metals both in pure form and as homogeneous solid solutions of multiple compounds.